Artificial Happiness

Instead he just said: "I'm not sure; it's probably just the stress."

"Maybe I can help with that," she proposed while she swiftly opened his pants and grabbed his dick.

"That's not a good idea," he claimed with a voice carrying hardly any determination. His organ growing rapidly in the woman's hand suggested a different opinion.

"Why not?" Catharina inquired with innocent naivety. If he had clearly told her to stop she would have interpreted it as a command and quit immediately. But the way he had configured her CERS, she would not react to such a hesitant statement, so she kept groping his genitalia.

"Because we are not supposed to do that."

"If we are not supposed to do it, why does it feel so good?" Catharina argued while she continued indulging him. For a Worker that logic actually made sense. They rarely had to make the decision between what they wanted and what was expected from them, because the CERS made sure it was one and the same. Their world was so delightfully simple; it was enticing to forget that Naturals had to live by different rules.

"It's more complicated than that," David tried to defend his position with futile effort.

Catharina stopped arguing with words. She just pressed her body against his, kissed his neck and stroked his phallus to its full size. Overwhelmed by her sensuality David was unable to resist any longer. He grabbed Catharina's hips, lifted her petite body up and placed her butt on his desk. With impatient hands he peeled her out of her cloth. The supple, slender body revealed underneath was not unfamiliar to him, but it excited him each time anew.

David's hands greedily roamed over her enticing flesh. His desire for her increased by the second. He knew that she felt the same for him; because he had basically configured her to lust after him. The film of wetness he encountered once his hand inevitably slid between her legs and the way she pressed herself against him in yearning supported that notion. It drove both of them even wilder.

Absolutely incapable of delaying any longer, David pulled Catharina's waist to the very edge of the desk. She eagerly spread her thighs wide, presenting the target of his desire. Though she uttered no word, her demand was unmistakable. They both sighed in unison when David finally pushed inside of her. After a moment of reveling in her tight, grasping embrace he started to move. Soon he was pounding her with fast, eager thrusts, driven by an overflowing need.

While deeply lost in the throes of passion, David was oblivious to certain circumstances he should have been aware of. First of all he had just exceeded the time slot in which the lab facility was officially provided to him. In the last few days and weeks that had never been an issue because he had always been the last one to occupy the room for the day. Now there was another research team which required the lab directly after him. None of that would have mattered if he had stuck to his usual habit of always locking the entrance. After Robert's departure, he had forgotten to do that though.

All these facts came rushing back to the front of David's mind when he heard noises from the door. By the time he had drawn the correct conclusions from them it was already too late. When his head jerked to the side he saw four people standing in the room, two of them Naturals. The initial expression of simple surprise on their faces turned aghast when they realized that the woman to whom he was joined at the hip was actually a Worker.

With a strange calm and lack of emotion David acknowledged that his career was over.

3

Robert was in the middle of his shift the next day, when the message arrived. In very brief words, devoid of any details, it informed him that the side project he had been working on with David had been terminated. His assignment was over and his assistance no longer needed. This came as a surprise and disappointment. Robert had enjoyed the project and hated leaving a task unfinished. He knew that the software was far from complete and the fact really bothered him; especially after they had made such great progress lately. It made him wonder why the research would not continue. He even considered the possibility that the termination was a lie and that David had just kicked him out. This scenario was particularly vexing. Had he done something wrong? Perhaps it was related to the Sexual Inhibitor setting Robert had encountered during the backup. David had seemed rather distressed about it. If this was the consequence of some fault of Robert, he desperately wanted to know. Knowing and understanding one's mistakes was important for Workers in their constant strife for improvement.

The whole affair put Robert in a bad mood, which the delight in his occupation couldn't fully redeem. His mind kept wandering to speculations about the project termination and an extensive analysis of his own behavior. Sensing his distracted mental state the CERS steered him towards ending his shift uncommonly early. He used the additional free time in pursuit of more information.

First he went to the lab in which he had been working with David. There was no sign of the Natural or his assistant. It even seemed that every trace of the project's existence had already been thoroughly erased. Afterwards he tried to find David at his flat in the station's accommodations for Naturals. To his astonishment it turned out that the place was vacant. Apparently David had moved out a few hours ago. From a Worker at the front office Robert learned that the Natural was no longer on Zukunftsfabrik station. Getting more and more perplexed by the whole matter, Robert kept asking around among Workers who had something to do with David or his assistant. The only piece of information he managed to acquire came from an employee of the human resources department. The woman had overheard two Naturals saying that David was charged with allegations of sexual misconduct towards a Worker. She didn't know what exactly that meant other than that it apparently was a serious offense which would probably lead to a discharge and loss of his overseer license.

After Robert's investigation he was hardly wiser than before. The only real clue about what was going on was the term sexual misconduct, but he had no idea what it might mean. The sexual inhibitor he had encountered the day before was the only other reference to the unfamiliar word. Surely there was some connection, but he just could not see it; an incredibly frustrating condition.

Standing at an intersection of two corridors he considered what to do now. There were plenty of options where to go, but few real choices. Much of the decision-making was done by the computer in his skull by influencing what he did and did not want to do. There were few prohibitions and hardly any areas of the station were strictly off limits to Workers. The CERS just kept them where they were supposed to be by suppressing ideas of wandering off and discouraging any improper intentions. In theory Robert could even access the traffic dock to look for a way off the station. That was a very unlikely scenario though. Like most of his colleagues, Robert never left the space station orbiting Mars. It wasn't officially forbidden, nor would he have been actively prevented from boarding one of the shuttles which frequently arrived and left. The CERS merely made sure that the idea had no appeal. Why would he leave, when all he liked and enjoyed was within the station while the outside world was a scary, unfamiliar place with nothing desirable in it?

Generally the CERS not only prevented undesirable activities but also encouraged beneficial ones, but at the moment there were no particular obligations to enforce, so the system allowed for some freedom of choice. This remnant of individualism was an important part of the whole concept. It left room for making independent decisions about more trivial matters, maintaining a feeling of self-determination, while more crucial matters were heavily influenced.

Lacking a better idea, Robert went to the Worker habitat with the intention to do some more research on the mystery which currently haunted him. Robert's room was tiny, little more than a closet. It barely fit a narrow bed, a shelf and a cupboard, with just enough space left to stand in between. Still, for a Worker it was quite the luxury. Employees from lower categories than Robert's usually slept in bunk beds lined up in large sleeping halls. Those Workers had synchronized schedules, meaning that they all went to bed and got up at the same time. The higher classes had more sophisticated systems for regulating their sleep, optimizing the time-frames individually, depending on current constitution, personal preferences and phases of maximum productivity. Robert's optimal sleeping time for example started and ended a bit later than for most others and it varied in length by about an hour. In order to ensure an undisturbed night-rest and grant some individual space, the higher-ranking employees were placed in separate rooms which were still far from luxurious. Of course the CERS made sure that whatever accommodation was assigned to them, they were absolutely content with it.

Perfectly happy with his modest little chamber, Robert placed himself on the bed and focused on his UID. In a quest for more information he searched the station network for the term 'sexual' and anything related to it. The results were scarce: an old, outdated company guideline stated that sexual relations between employees were discouraged; a medical document mentioned sexual organs without specifying what they were or what purpose they served; there was also one reference to the sexual inhibitor of the CERS with a very short description saying that it suppresses hormones, thoughts, urges and body functions related to sexuality.

None of that was particularly helpful. Wherever sexuality was mentioned it was treated as something obvious and common, suggesting that the reader was expected to know what it meant. This notion just added to Robert's frustration. Having exhausted all other options, there was only one more source of information left. Putting the UID to the back of his own head he triggered the signal for releasing his Plug. He had never done that before. The idea of making any alteration to his CERS configuration had never crossed his mind. He hadn't even thought of the possibility before. There was no reason why he would want to change anything either; why should he when he was happy with how it was. The only reason he considered it right now was a thirst for knowledge and a severe aversion against not understanding something.

Once Robert had connected his UID to the Plug, it didn't take long to find the ominous setting. As expected the sexual inhibitor was active in his configuration. He stared at the screen for a while, contemplating what a modification might entail. It was called an inhibitor, so its purpose was to prevent some feeling, trait or behavior which would occur otherwise. No matter how hard he tried to imagine what a sensation he had never experienced might be like, it seemed impossible; it was just too abstract. Predicting possible negative repercussions wasn't easier. Naturals lived their entire lives without such an inhibitor, so how bad could it be? For Catharina the setting had been turned off during their last project session and she had seemed just fine.

It took some long minutes of internal struggle but eventually his curious side managed to rationalize a temporary deactivation of the inhibitor sufficiently to justify it against the side which would have preferred not to diverge from familiar paths. The final decision to make the change came with a sudden determination. Workers were always encouraged to evaluate their choices thoroughly but there was also a need for resolve and certainty once a verdict was reached. In line with this habit Robert banished any doubts as soon as he was sure what he wanted. If anything bad happened he could always reset the setting.

After he had reinserted his Plug with the modified configuration he just sat on his bed waiting for the changes to take effect. Nothing happened. Or at least he didn't perceive anything happening. There was no noticeable change in his state of mind, nor any unusual feelings. Robert was partly relieved, partly disappointed. So far he was no closer to a revelation than before; therefore he left the altered setting as it was, in the hope that at some point he would notice a difference.

Following some more research with little to no yield Robert decided that it was time for his bedtime routine. He left his room and went to the sanitary facilities of the habitat. Plenty of other employees were there. Many of them were also preparing for sleep, some come from the exercise facilities, and others had just awoken and were getting ready for their shifts. Men and women shared a common facility dedicated to bodily hygiene. With the Workers manipulated to feel neither sexual urges nor shame for their bodies, there was no need for separating by sex. Having them combined was cheaper and more efficient for the company, which was always the primary concern.

The facility contained all the necessities for basic hygienic needs: toilets, showers, sinks, mirrors and shelves containing the common articles for keeping the body properly groomed. There were also chutes to dispose of used laundry as well as stacks of towels and fresh cloth for everyone to take from. Like in most other rooms on the station, everything was rather crammed. There was never much space between people. While this would have been unacceptable for many Naturals, the Workers didn't mind.

The visit of the sanitary facilities was a fixed point in every Worker's schedule but nothing which granted much pleasure. Therefore the employees were usually in a solemn mood. They focused on fulfilling the obligations to hygiene as quick as possible and left as soon as they felt like having done what was necessary. There was hardly any chatter or social interaction, no unnecessary lingering; just self-centered Workers rushing from one point to the next.

Usually that also applied to Robert. This time was different though. As soon as he entered the room he noticed that something was off. At first he thought the difference had something to do with the other occupants. Gradually he discovered that it was his own perception which was unusual. He was uncommonly aware of the other Workers around him. There was an inexplicable interest in the people standing around and passing by. There was an aesthetic to the human body which had only now revealed itself to him it seemed. While he crossed the room his gaze involuntarily wandered from one person to the next, trying to decipher the mystery behind the strange attraction. How could this kind of beauty have eluded him entirely so far? Primarily the female colleagues drew his attention; especially when they were partially or fully naked. His eyes tended to linger on their chest and groin areas in particular.

A room full of naked Workers was quite a stunning sight. Employees for spaceship production facilities were not selected for their physical beauty of course, but the optimized gene-pool from which Workers were generally bred was considered as a cross-section from the most superb specimen humanity had to offer. That came with a lot of the properties which were considered attractive. Despite their accelerated development through childhood and adolescence, the primary and secondary sexual characteristics of Workers were fully developed. Their wholesome lifestyle, well-balanced diet and regular exercise lead to a healthy body, adding to its physical appeal. Furthermore the CERS-Workforce project had only been started a little more than three decades ago, so even the oldest among the employees were in the prime of their life.

So even if attractiveness wasn't a concern in the every-day life of these Workers, the nude body of a young, healthy, fully developed human, blessed with great genes, was more than enough to arouse the opposite sex; a little too much for Robert whose sexual urges had just been awoken for the first time.

He tried to attend to his dental health but found it unexpectedly difficult to focus on the trivial task. Even the reflections of people walking by in the mirror were incredibly distracting. It didn't matter where he looked, there was no escape. At the sink to his right stood a female colleague who had just returned from the showers and was still unclothed. Robert didn't know her and normally wouldn't have given her a second glance. No he found himself studying her body meticulously, analyzing the previously unseen loveliness in it. His gaze traveled up and down over her curvy shape before locking onto her breasts. There was no logical reason why he should enjoy looking at those simple, objectively unspectacular mounds; yet he did.

Robert felt a stirring in his loins; an entirely new sensation. When he looked down and brought his hand to the front of his pants he realized in shock that his penis had grown in size and become somewhat rigid. That hadn't happened before. Of course his genitalia had been subjected to small changes in size, mostly due to temperature, but nothing like this. It was worrying, yet it didn't feel unpleasant or harmful. On the contrary, his organ pressing against the fabric keeping it restrained was even slightly enjoyable. He might have been more concerned if his mind hadn't been clouded by the unfamiliar hormones in his system.

All he wanted to do at the moment was to keep watching the woman next to him. Unfortunately she left shortly. Robert's longing gaze followed her, mesmerized by the slight swaying of her buttocks. Once she was gone he searched for a new target to admire. The showers were the logical choice. As soon as he reached them he was overwhelmed by the rows of wet naked bodies lined up before him. The water running over the gorgeous figures somehow amplify their beauty. In the meantime his erection grew even further. It was confusing and alarming but not enough to make him leave yet.

Robert was entranced by the display. It was strange how entertaining the supposedly banal sight of bare skin could be, even though he had witnessed the exact same scenario countless times before. The longer he stood and stared, the weirder the whole situation felt and the more aware he became of how anomalous his behavior was; it made him uncomfortable. The sensation was amplified when he noticed passing persons giving him inquisitive glances. They didn't question or complain about his conduct, nor would they put much thought into it. While naturally curious about everything related to their job and their basic interests, Workers didn't care much about the affairs of other people or in fact anything which wasn't relevant to their occupation. Still the looks made Robert feel self-consciousness and even a little ashamed.

After a while he couldn't take it any longer and fled towards the exit. Just when he wanted to leave the facility, a he an encountered someone familiar; it was Lisa. She greeted him with a friendly smile.

Robert was stunned, as he felt like he was seeing the woman's face for the first time, even though he recognized it immediately. How had he never realized how pretty she was? Her delicate features, bright blue eyes, cute little nose, short sandy-blonde hair, smooth fair skin, that heart-warming smile; he had seen all that a thousand times and yet it seemed that only now he found the beauty in them. He was absolutely baffled, almost forgetting to greet her back.

Robert's intentions of leaving vanished immediately. Now his thoughts went in a completely different direction. At that moment all he wanted to do was watch that wonderful woman. It was all he could think about. Lisa was returning from exercising, which meant she would take a shower. He had to wonder: had he ever seen her naked? It was likely, but he could not remember. Usually he didn't care about trivialities like that. Now it seemed like the most important thing in the world.